Saturday, January 2, 2016

Species List: La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 31-12-2015

21 species sighted at La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Julie, Terry and David on this single shore entry dive of 140 minutes. Maximum depth 6.9 m, 25 C water temperature and 2 m viz.

New Year's Eve - Our final dive for the year was undertaken in the Mooloolah River due to the unsuitable conditions being whipped up by the strong south to southeasterly winds blowing onshore. This site is usually of no hardship - easy access, easy diving and very often something new. The viz wasn't the best but it certainly made us look a lot closer. New species of Noumeaella (our sp. 2) and Facelina (our sp. 9) were discovered. We are yet to come to a conclusion about a small Philinopsis that looks somewhat like Philinopsis lineolata except that it is black with transverse stripes that are comprised of spots of various iridescent colours (bling). Whether this a juvenile presentation is being considered but it does not have the characteristic buccal hump of that species. A tiny unidentified Goniodorididae nudibranch was also detected but may be too juvenile to arrive at a positive ID.

Number of species sighted
* Species with highest specimen count

Analogium amakusanum -3
Bulbaeolidia alba -2
Doto sp. 3 -4
Facelina sp. 9 -1 (New species)
* Flabellina angelvaldesi -24+
Flabellina rubrolineata -1
Goniobranchus aureopurpureus -1
Goniobranchus collingwoodi -1
Goniobranchus daphne -3
Goniobranchus decorus -2
Goniodoridella sp. 1 -8
Gymnodoris nigricolor -1
Gymnodoris sp. 10 -1
* Hypselodoris obscura -26
Noumeaella sp. 2 -1 (New species)
Philinopsis sp. 2 ??? -1
Pleurobranchus weberi -3
Pteraeolidia semperi -10
Trinchesia sp. 23 -1
Trinchesia sp. 24 -1
Unidentified juvenile Goniodorididae -1

Flabellina rubrolineata

Goniobranchus decorus 

Goniobranchus daphne

Goniobranchus collingwoodi

Hypselodoris obscura

Pteraeolidia semperi 

Gymnodoris sp. 10 

Doto sp. 3

Facelina sp. 9 - New species

Unidentified juvenile Goniodorididae species

Surface conditions - The entrance stairs 
with handrail for the geriatric divers

Noumeaella sp. 2 - New species

Philinopsis sp. - (P. lineolata?)

Goniobranchus aureopurpureus

Analogium amakusanum

Flabellina angelvaldesi - Moving in 
to lop of another orange hydroid polyp

Pleurobranchus weberi

Bulbaeolidia alba

Goniodoridella sp. 1

Trinchesia sp. 23

Gymnodoris nigricolor